Friday, September 2, 2016

Parents’ Baby Dies While Hospitals Keep Changing His Diagnosis

Parents seem to have a sixth sense when something is wrong with their children. They’ll do anything to figure out what’s wrong.

When Nicole Thompson and Te Keepa Paraone noticed their seven-month-old son came down with a fever, a rash, and lacked movement on his right side, they immediately took him to Midland Hospital in Perth, Australia.

According to 9 News Perth, the staff at the hospital told Nicole and Te Keepa that their youngest son, Malaki, was simply teething and possibly suffering from a “pulled elbow.”

Nicole even admitted they were “laughed at” for being concerned for their child before the hospital sent them on their way.

The next day, Tuesday, Malaki started to vomit and his heart rate was up. This time, his parents called an ambulance and the little boy was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

Nicole and Te Keepa tell 9 News Perth that when Malaki arrived to the hospital, he was examined in a bathroom, on a changing table, because the hospital didn’t have any beds available. They were sent home again, this time with Panadol, better known as Tylenol.

On Wednesday, a general practitioner diagnosed Malaki with “a virus” and told the concerned parents that there was nothing he could do for the infant.

Unfortunately, Malaki’s health continued to decline and on Thursday, his persistent parents brought him back to PMH. This time the hospital didn’t send Malaki home. Instead, he was put into the intensive care unit (ICU).

While on life support, doctors told Nicole and Te Keepa that their son was suffering from a meningococcal virus. Nicole, Te Keepa, and their oldest son were prescribed antibiotics just in case.

However, when Malaki’s parents accused the doctors of turning them away earlier in the week, the doctors changed Malaki’s diagnosis. They said they believed the seven-month-old was actually suffering from septicemia, a common blood infection.